Best free blood pressure app for iPhone (2026): a cardiologist's checklist

The right blood pressure app helps you measure the way the guideline asks (two readings a minute apart, morning and evening, averaged), sorts your numbers into the current categories, and hands your doctor a report they can use in a 15-minute visit. After that, look at privacy, cost, and whether it plays well with your cuff and Apple Health.

I'm a preventive cardiologist, and I built one of these apps (BP Log), so read this with that in mind. I've tried to keep the comparison to facts you can check on each app's own App Store page, and I've said where other apps do things mine doesn't.

What makes a good blood pressure app?

A good blood pressure app walks you through the guideline method (two readings a minute apart, morning and evening, averaged) and sorts your results into the current categories. It also gives your doctor a report they can read quickly, keeps your data private, and doesn't lock basic logging behind a subscription.

1. Does it follow the measuring method, or only store numbers?

The 2025 AHA/ACC guideline approach to home readings is specific: sit quietly, take two readings one minute apart, do it in the morning and again in the evening, and average them. The American Medical Association spells this out for patients as 28 readings a week. A single reading taken whenever you remember is noisy. Your pressure moves with posture, talking, a full bladder, and that coffee you finished ten minutes ago.

An app that only gives you a box for one systolic and one diastolic number will happily store noise. A better app walks you through the pair, times the minute, and averages for you. If you want the full routine, see how to measure blood pressure at home.

2. Does it classify against current categories?

The 2025 guideline uses four adult categories: Normal (under 120 and under 80), Elevated (120 to 129 and under 80), Stage 1 (130 to 139 or 80 to 89), and Stage 2 (140 or higher, or 90 or higher). These are the same cutoffs the 2017 guideline used, so an app labeled "2017 ACC/AHA" sorts readings the same way. Watch for apps that still use older labels like "prehypertension" by default, or let you set your own thresholds without telling you what the guideline says. The category chart guide walks through each one.

3. Can you hand your doctor something useful?

Doctors don't want to scroll your phone. In clinic I want two things: averages (morning, evening, overall) for a defined stretch, and the full list behind them so I can see whether one bad Tuesday is dragging the number up. A PDF with both is ideal. A CSV export is a nice bonus for anyone who likes spreadsheets. More on that in sharing home readings with your doctor.

4. Privacy

Blood pressure readings are health data. Questions worth asking:

• Where does the data live? On your phone, in your own iCloud, or on the company's servers?
• Do you need to make an account?
• Are there ads?
• What does the App Store's App Privacy label say? It's on every app's App Store page, under headings like "Data Linked to You" and "Data Used to Track You," and it takes about 30 seconds to read.

A company keeping your data on its servers can be a fair trade if you get something for it, like sharing with a care team or using the app on Android or the web. It should be a choice you make on purpose.

5. Cost model

Check three things: what the free version does, whether paid features are a subscription or a one-time purchase, and whether the core job (measure, classify, report) sits behind the paywall. Blood pressure tracking is a years-long habit, so $10 a month adds up to $120 a year, every year.

6. Apple Health sync

If your cuff's own app writes readings to Apple Health, any app that reads from Apple Health can use them. That means you aren't locked to one cuff brand. Two-way sync also keeps your readings in one place if you change apps later.

7. The cuff matters more than the app

No app can fix a bad reading. Use an upper-arm cuff that has passed independent validation, in the right size for your arm. The AMA's free US list is at validatebp.org, and STRIDE BP keeps an international list at stridebp.org. The 2025 guideline also says not to rely on cuffless devices, including smartwatches, for blood pressure numbers yet.

How do the popular blood pressure apps compare?

They differ most on whether they guide the two-reading method, which guideline their categories follow, and what's free versus paid. The table below sticks to what each app's App Store page or maker's website says.

Everything below comes from each app's App Store listing or its maker's website as of October 2026. Prices are US App Store prices and change often, so check before you buy. "Not stated" means I couldn't find it on those pages, which doesn't mean the feature is missing.

Where other apps are a better fit

• You own an OMRON or Withings cuff and want readings to appear with no extra step. Their own apps pair over Bluetooth directly. BP Log can still use those readings, but only after the cuff's app writes them to Apple Health.
• You track a parent or partner on the same phone. SmartBP and Withings support multiple profiles. BP Log is one person per Apple ID.
• You use Android, or want your data on the web. SmartBP, OMRON connect, and Withings all have Android apps. BP Log is iPhone only for now.
• You want weight, sleep, activity, or ECG in the same app. Withings, OMRON connect, and SmartBP all cover more than blood pressure.
• You want a one-week check and nothing else. Apple Health's built-in log already asks for seven mornings and seven evenings, classifies the result, and exports a PDF, at no cost.

What BP Log does

For the record, here's what's in BP Log, free and with no account: a guided two-reading flow (timed a minute apart and averaged, per the 2025 AHA/ACC guideline), extra readings with the option to exclude one, every reading classified against current guideline categories, time in target, morning and evening averages, Apple Health import and ongoing sync, Siri logging, full CSV export, a guided sitting-to-standing orthostatic check, editing, tags, and notes. The printable doctor visit report (a summary plus every reading split AM and PM) covers one month on the free version.

The Lifetime upgrade is a one-time purchase with no subscription. It adds full chart history beyond three months, report ranges of 3, 6, or 12 months, and orthostatic trends. Your readings stay on your phone and in your own iCloud. They never touch BP Log's servers, and there are no ads.

Common questions

Is there a truly free blood pressure app for iPhone?

Yes, several. Apple Health is free and built in. BP Log is free, with an optional one-time Lifetime purchase. SmartBP's in-app purchases include a lifetime option alongside its subscriptions. OMRON connect and Withings have free tiers, with premium features on monthly or yearly plans.

Do I need a Bluetooth cuff?

No. Any validated upper-arm cuff works if you're willing to type in two numbers. A Bluetooth cuff saves typing and typos. If its app writes to Apple Health, apps that read Apple Health can use the readings too.

Can my Apple Watch measure my blood pressure?

No. On supported models, Apple Watch can look for a pattern that suggests hypertension and notify you, and Apple then asks you to check with a cuff for 7 days. It doesn't give you a systolic and diastolic number. The 2025 guideline says to avoid relying on cuffless devices, including smartwatches, for blood pressure readings until they prove more accurate. Keep using a cuff. More in does Apple Watch measure blood pressure?

What should I bring to my appointment?

A report that shows your morning and evening averages over at least a week, plus the full list of readings behind them. If your app can't make one, a printable blood pressure log on paper does the same job.